The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.
We have.
Leviticus 24:16 And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD, shall be put to death.
Deuteronomy 18:20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.
because.
John 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
John 8:58,59 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am…
John 10:30-33,36-38 I and my Father are one…
answered the Jews,
The term "the Jews" in the Gospel of John often refers to the Jewish religious leaders, such as the Pharisees and Sadducees, rather than the Jewish people as a whole. These leaders were responsible for maintaining religious orthodoxy and were often in conflict with Jesus due to His teachings and actions, which they perceived as threats to their authority and interpretation of the law.
and according to that law He must die,
The specific law they refer to is likely Leviticus 24:16, which prescribes death for blasphemy. The Jewish leaders believed that Jesus' claim to divinity constituted blasphemy, a serious offense warranting capital punishment. However, under Roman rule, the Jewish authorities did not have the power to execute someone, which is why they brought Jesus to Pilate.
because He declared Himself to be the Son of God.
This declaration is central to the identity and mission of Jesus. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus refers to Himself as the Son of God, a title that signifies His unique relationship with the Father and His divine nature. This claim fulfills Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah, such as those found in Isaiah 9:6 and Psalm 2:7. The Jewish leaders' rejection of this claim highlights their misunderstanding of the Messianic prophecies and their expectation of a political rather than a spiritual savior.
• The religious leaders appeal to the authority of the Torah, underscoring that their accusation is not a personal grudge but—so they claim—a matter of covenant fidelity (see John 18:31; Acts 6:13).
• By invoking “the law,” they present themselves as guardians of holiness, echoing Moses’ charge in Deuteronomy 17:8-13 that difficult cases be judged according to divine statute.
• Ironically, the very Law they cite points to Christ (John 5:39; Galatians 3:24), so their declaration highlights a tragic misunderstanding: they cling to the letter while rejecting the Law’s fulfillment standing before them.
• Leviticus 24:16: “Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD must surely be put to death.” The leaders press this penalty, convinced Jesus’ words meet the blasphemy threshold.
• Though Rome alone held legal power to execute (John 18:31), the Sanhedrin’s insistence shows how fully they believe the Mosaic death sentence applies.
• Their statement sets up the clash between divine justice and human injustice: Jesus truly bears a death sentence, but not for His own sin (Isaiah 53:4-6; 1 Peter 2:22-24).
• Previous confrontations confirm the charge: “My Father is always at His work... I too am working” (John 5:17-18); “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30-33). Each time, the crowd sought to stone Him for blasphemy.
• Sonship here is not mere messianic title but equality with God, as even His opponents recognize (John 19:7).
• The claim is true—affirmed at His baptism (Matthew 3:17), transfiguration (Matthew 17:5), and resurrection (Romans 1:4)—yet it becomes the very grounds for His condemnation, fulfilling His own prophecy in John 3:14-18.
The leaders cite the Law to justify execution, pointing to Leviticus’ demand that blasphemers die. Jesus’ explicit identification as the Son of God is viewed as blasphemy, sealing their verdict. Yet Scripture shows He truly is the Son, the Law’s fulfillment, and His death—though demanded by men—accomplishes God’s redemptive plan.
(7) We have a law, and by our law he ought to die.--The better reading is,. . . . and by the law He ought to die. (Comp. Leviticus 24:16.) They feel the bitter sarcasm of Pilate's taunt, and appeal to their own law, which, in accordance with the general Roman policy, was in force in all questions which did not directly affect the Government. They change the accusation then from one of treason against Caesar (John 19:12), of which Pilate claimed to be judge, to one of blasphemy against God, of which they only could be judges; and assert that Jesus is by that law guilty of a capital offence, for which He ought to die. (Comp. Matthew 26:63-66, and Luke 22:70.)Verse 7. - The Jews answered him, ready with an expedient which hitherto they had not ventured to try upon the Roman official. It might have met with the kind of reception which Gallio gave to the accusers of Sosthenes in the Corinthian court. He might have driven them at point of spear or whip from the judgment-seat. "The Jews' here mentioned, rather than "the chief priests and officers" of the previous verse, for the multitude - by some other spokesmen than they - exclaim, We have a law, and according to that (the) law he ought to die; whatever you may have made of the charge of political treason. In full session of our Sanhedrin, he made himself, represented himself, as something more than Caesar, nay, more than man, as Son of God. "King of Jews" was a usurpation of the Messianic dignity; but he had claimed, in their very hearing, to be more than a national leader. He raised himself to the position of being "Jehovah's King upon his holy hill," to whom Jehovah had sworn, "Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee;" "Son of God" as well as "King of Israel." Pilate would not and could not understand this strange "testimony to the truth;" and the people were now in a more angry and excited state than ever, and appealed to the law of their own code (Leviticus 24:16), which denounced death upon the blasphemer. This charge was just unless the claim was true. If Christ had not been to his own inmost consciousness what he said he was, the Sanhedrin was in the right; and, according to law, he was guilty of death. It is here vastly interesting to see another indication of relation between the synoptic narrative and the Fourth Gospel. Though John passed ever the scenes before the Sanhedrin, and the circumstance that Christ had been actually there doomed because he had made there no secret of his Divine claims, and declared himself to be a king in a higher sense than Pilate dreamed; yet John has given clear proof that he was well aware of the confession, and records the still more striking tact that this special claim of supreme prerogative actually came to the ears and before the judgment-seat of Rome.